


Follow Me Home

by clicky797



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Child!Mikleo, Child!Sorey, Dragon!Mikleo, M/M, May add other characters, Pete's Dragon AU, child sormik, heldalf and sergei are brothers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clicky797/pseuds/clicky797
Summary: Ladylake - a tiny, isolated town, surrounded by the mysterious Elysian Woods, and only managing to survive thanks to the booming timber industry. When the town’s park ranger, Alisha Diphda, wanders further into the woods than usual, she finds a feral child named Sorey. But who exactly is Sorey? And how has he survived for so long if he’s all on his own?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Idk why this AU popped into my head, but here you go. A Pete's Dragon AU (that's got to be the most random AU I've ever come up with... I didn't even like the film! XD).

There had always been stories told about the Elysian Woods, and as the town’s only ranger, Alisha Diphda made it her business to know them all. It was fascinating, in a morose kind of way. Not many of the stories ended well. For instance, one story claimed that if you wandered past the river that ran through the meadow, about twenty miles past the woods’ border, you’d never find your way back. Well, Alisha already knew that one was nonsense. She’d been up by the river earlier that day, keeping watch to ensure the lumberjacks didn’t go beyond their designated area. And she’d been back in time for dinner. 

It had become a hobby of hers, on days when she didn’t have much to do. She’d flick through the thick book of stories she’d kept from her childhood, and pick one to investigate. The local children loved it. They’d stop by her hut on the way back from school, breathless from cycling too fast in their excitement, and ask her which one she’d disproved today. 

There hadn’t been a single one she’d failed to disprove so far. But that didn’t matter to her. Even without the stories, the Elysian Woods was still a magical place. The trees were thick as stone columns, and stretched far higher than any of the buildings in town. In some places, their leaves merged into a canopy, which would bathe the ground in a muted green light. Hardly anyone went into the woods, and so the animals there were tame. Alisha often spent her afternoons feeding red squirrels from her hands, or lying in the tall grass by the little waterfall while rabbits cuddled by her side for warmth. 

But then she’d be jolted awake by the sound of a centuries-old tree crashing to the ground, and her heart would sink. The Elysian Woods were a haven for her, but for most of the men in Ladylake, they were something else. Money. Business. Work. She could hardly protest when being a lumberjack was one of the only decent jobs going in Ladylake. 

As much as she hated to see the Elysian Woods shrinking minutely every year, she knew the operation was in good hands. Her boyfriend, Sergei, co-owned the company with his brother, Heldalf. And Sergei was as law-abiding as he was handsome. Plus, he’d never knowingly damage the woods when he knew how much they meant to her. His brother, on the other hand...

“Heldalf,” Alisha snapped, the sound of her truck door slamming making all the men in the clearing fall silent. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

She’d heard the dreaded buzz of chainsaws from her hut, and immediately rushed to the site. She knew the lumberjacks were setting themselves up in that area, but they were under strict instructions not to begin working until the council had approved the area for demolition. She knew this because she’d been in the room when Sergei was discussing it with his brother over the phone. 

She was just about ready to kill Heldalf for going ahead with it. She spotted him straight away. He towered above the other men, his blonde hair tied back off his squared jaw and broad cheekbones. His eyes flashed when he saw her striding towards him. 

“Here we go,” he muttered. 

“You’re under strict instructions not to start working here until the council has approved the site!” Alisha exclaimed. 

“What, so you want me and my boys to just sit around for a week and wait?” Heldalf asked dryly. “Why does it matter, anyway? They’ve never refused us permission before. I hardly think that’s going to change. Cut the trees down now or cut them down in a week - why does it matter?”

“You have no idea what might be out here!” Alisha exclaimed. “There could be endangered species! Ruins! Those trees you’ve cut down might be rare breeds!” 

“It’s all just wood,” Heldalf said. 

“So’s your head! This is my woods, my jurisdiction, and I...” Alisha’s voice trailed off when she noticed almost half the trees in the area already had red crosses sprayed onto them, marking them for cutting.

That did it. She _was_ going to kill him. Bury his body and claim it was an accident. No one ever came this far out, no one would ever know...

“What’s that?” one of the workers said. Alisha looked to where he was pointing, but saw nothing. Only a mound of earth and leaves. “That’s so weird. I swear I just saw-”

“Saw what?” another worker teased, nudging him in the side with his elbow. “A ghost? A monster? A Seraph?”

“I don’t know what it was. Just... I swear it was something.”

Alisha’s curiosity had peaked. Of all the stories in her book, there was one she held close to her heart. The story of the Seraphim. It had been her father’s favourite story to read to her, in fact, he claimed that he’d really seen one before. Which, as a child, Alisha had always giggled at. 

_“But how can you see them daddy? Aren’t they invisible?”_

_“Only when they want to be. They’re very delicate creatures, Alisha, very easily scared. If you were to think wicked thoughts or do bad things in the presence of a Seraph, they’d be so terrified that they’d turn into a dragon and eat you.”_

_“That’s what happened to you, wasn’t it? When you saw one? It attacked you, and that’s why you have that scar!”_

_“That’s right, sweetie. I was very lucky to escape with my life. I managed to get far enough away, and the Seraph returned to his normal form. When I’d cleared my mind of any impurities, I tried to find him again. To apologise. But I never could.”_

“Are you done with us already?” Heldalf said, snapping Alisha out of her memories. 

She hadn’t realised, but she was walking into the trees, towards the site where the worker claimed he’d seen something. Was it truly a Seraph? She longed to go searching, to find out for herself. But she couldn’t trust Heldalf not to continue working.

Another car pulled up alongside her truck, and to her relief, Sergei stepped out. He looked furious. 

“What are you doing?” he shouted at his brother. “Have you lost your mind? Do you want the council to fine us again?”

 _Again_? So this was a common occurrence then, Alisha realised.

“Who cares if they do?” Heldalf said. “Time is money. We make plenty enough to throw a little the council’s way. It’s more cost effective to just pay them whatever and then get the timber to market as fast as we can. This is supposed to be a business, isn’t it?”

“If we did what you wanted, half the woods would be gone by now!” 

“You don’t care about the woods. You only care because your precious girlfriend loves it here, and she’s got you whipped.”

Sergei flushed, his cheeks flaring an adorable shade of red. Alisha covered her smirk behind her hand. 

“She does not have me whipped,” Sergei insisted. “And she is not the only reason!”

“She has a name,” Alisha called to him. 

He jumped at the sound of her voice, cheeks going even redder when he saw her standing at the edge of the clearing. 

“Alisha,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise you were here, or else of course I’d have come straight over to greet you.”

“Like I said,” Heldalf muttered. “Whipped.”

“It’s fine,” Alisha insisted. 

The first time she’d met Sergei, she’d assumed he’d be an uncaring, unreasonable brute, like his brother. He was just as broad as Heldalf, and his narrow face lacked any of the lines you’d get from smiling and laughing. _Serious_ , had been Alisha’s first impression. _He’s so serious_. But then when they’d spoken, she’d been surprised to find out he was actually quite sweet. Painfully sweet, actually. That serious, business-like exterior had melted away in her company, revealing a timid, sappy romantic, who reminded her of a school boy that was still trying to work up the courage to talk to his crush. And despite her hate for Heldalf and the timber industry, Alisha couldn’t help but fall hopelessly for his charm. He was her knight in shining armour. 

“You finish up your shouting match with Heldalf,” she said to him. “I have to check something out.”

Even as Alisha slipped into the peace and serenity that the trees provided, she could still hear the deep voices of the two arguing men. She rarely got to see this side of Sergei - more alpha male and less soft-spoken gentleman. She liked it. As the older brother, she hoped he would get the final say over the dispute. But Heldalf was more liked by the lumberjacks. His immoral ideas and schemes always resulted in more money for his workers. She’d have to have a talk with Sergei tonight about it. 

Alisha checked the mound where the worker had pointed to. There were small dents in the earth, but they could have been left there by any number of animals. She decided to venture deeper. Soon, she’d gone so deep that Sergei and Heldalf’s voice were a distant echo. 

She’d never been to this part of the forest before. The ground was covered in thin twigs, which crunched under her feet with every step, and everywhere she looked she could see berry bushes. She plucked a blackberry from one as she passed, popping it into her mouth. The sweetness of the fruit burst onto her tongue, and she found herself humming in approval. 

That’s when she heard it. A quiet rustling from behind her, caused by the movement of something trying to get closer. Whatever it was, it sounded too big to be a rabbit or a squirrel. Perhaps it was a fox, or maybe even a deer. Carefully, Alisha plucked some more of the berries, planning to use them to entice the creature closer. When her hands were full, she slowly turned. And almost dropped everything. 

It wasn’t a deer. Or a fox. Or a rabbit or squirrel or anything else she would expect to find in the woods. It was a boy. A human boy, crouched amongst the bushes, and watching her carefully with big green eyes. His brown hair was a tangled mess, with two orange feathers sticking out of it. 

“Hello there,” Alisha said softly, crouching down so she wouldn’t frighten him. “Are you hungry? Do you want some of these?”

She popped a blackberry into her mouth to show him they weren’t poisoned. His eyes widened and dropped to the fruit. Alisha could tell he was curious. 

“Come on,” she said. “I’m not going to hurt you. We can have a picnic together, if you like?”

To her delight, the boy crept closer. He couldn’t have been more than 12 years old, but if the dirt on his face and the clothes on his thin body were anything to go by, he’d spent the majority of those years out here. His clothes were also caked in mud, but to Alisha’s surprise they weren’t as old or worn as she’d expect. 

“What’s a picnic?” the boy asked in a small voice. 

Alisha would have gaped, but she didn’t want him to be afraid if she suddenly stopped smiling. 

“It’s when you eat outside,” she told him. “On a blanket, with your family. Do you have a family?”

“I don’t know.” The boy was close enough to take a blackberry now, but he was hesitating. “What’s a family?”

Alisha’s heart sank. It was as she’d feared - this boy had been living alone out here. It was remarkable that he hadn’t starved to death, but the fact he could speak was unbelievable. She’d heard of feral children before, and the results tended to show that if they were without human company, they wouldn’t learn to talk. 

“Someone who takes care of you,” she said. “And that loves you very much.”

The boy took a berry with a quick movement, as if afraid Alisha’s hands would close shut around his tiny wrist. He sniffed at it and held it up to examine before putting it in his mouth. He beamed at the taste. 

“Mikleo, you have to try this,” he said loudly. 

Alisha tilted her head to one side. Was there more than one child out here? 

“Who’s Mikleo?” she asked, but the boy was looking around with wide eyes. It was almost like he’d just realised he was all alone. 

“Mikleo?” he said again, his voice small. 

“Do you have a name?” Alisha quickly asked, watching as the boy grew more and more distressed. 

He nodded. 

“I’m Sorey,” he said. 

“And who is Mikleo?”

Sorey shook his head, backing away from Alisha. Her heart jumped into a panic when she realised the boy was preparing to leave. She couldn’t let him go! It was a miracle that she’d found him now. If he escaped from her, there was a good chance he’d die in the woods without anyone ever knowing. 

“Sorey, please,” she said in her softest voice. “Don’t go. Please don’t leave me.”

This desperate plea seemed to catch Sorey’s attention. His eyes grew sympathetic. 

“Are you lost?” he asked her. “Do you need me to help you?”

“Yes,” Alisha said. “I’m very, very lost.”

If it would keep Sorey here, she’d play along with whatever fantasy he wanted. She just needed more time to figure out how to convince him to come with her...

“Alisha! There you are!” 

Sergei rushed towards her, relief washing over his expression. The moment he appeared, his heavy footsteps crunching loudly, Sorey bolted. 

“Sorey! Wait!” Alisha exclaimed. 

Before she could dash after him, Sergei swept her up from behind in a massive bear hug. Normally she loved his hugs, and would sigh as she snuggled up to his chest. But now was the worst possible time for one. Sergei lifted her off her feet, grinning like a fool, still completely oblivious to the child he’d scared away. Alisha elbowed him in the ribs. 

“Put me down!” she demanded. “Let go! I’m serious! Please, let me go this instant!”

Sergei finished spinning her around, and finally noticed the foul expression on her face. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked her. 

Before Alisha could reply, an acorn sailed through the air and hit him on the head. Sergei blinked in surprise, while Alisha craned her neck round to see who’d thrown it. It was Sorey. He was back, a determined expression on his face, and a hand full of acorns. He threw another, his aim as perfect as the previous throw. 

“Let her go!” he exclaimed at Sergei. 

Warmth swelled in Alisha’s chest. Sorey thought she was in trouble. Sorey had come back to help her. 

“Who’s this?” Sergei asked, as yet another acorn bounced off his head. 

Alisha wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close so she could whisper in his ear. 

“Don’t put me down,” she said. “His name is Sorey. I think he’s been living all alone out here.”

“Seriously?” Sergei exclaimed. 

“Yes I’m serious!” Sorey said angrily, though his supply of acorns was running low. “Let her go or I’ll get bigger things to throw at you!”  
“He doesn’t understand,” Alisha continued whispering. “He doesn’t realise we’re trying to help him. We need to take him back to town, Sergei. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if we left him out here, and something terrible happened to him. But I’m afraid he’ll run if we-”

Sergei threw Alisha aside and charged at Sorey. The boy’s eyes blew wide and he screamed. He began to run, but Sergei was quickly catching him up. 

“Sergei, you idiot!” Alisha exclaimed, picking herself up from where she’d landed. 

Now she had grass stains on her uniform. She quickly sprinted after her boyfriend, praying that he wouldn’t scare Sorey too much. As much as Sergei loved children, sometimes his methods could be... questionable. She still remembered two Halloweens ago, when he thought it’d be fun for the children if he waited behind the tree in their front garden and jumped out to surprise them. The children were already afraid of Sergei’s hulking form and serious face, so god knows what they’d thought when he’d suddenly appeared dressed as Frankenstein. Needless to say, they didn’t get trick-or-treaters anymore.

When Alisha finally caught up to them, Sorey was trying to climb up one of the trees. He was a good distance up the trunk, but Sergei had caught his ankle, and no matter how much Sorey screamed, or how hard he kicked at Sergei’s hand with his other foot, her boyfriend’s grip stayed firm. 

“It’s alright, little fella,” Sergei told him. “We’re going to help you. We’ll take you somewhere nice, I promise.”

“Mikleo! Mikleo!” Sorey screamed, like his life depended on it. 

“Sergei! Let him go!” Alisha shouted. “He’ll fall!”

But it was too late. Sergei gave Sorey’s foot a gentle tug, to coax him down. It was enough force though to make Sorey lose his grip. Sergei caught him before he hit the ground, but not before his head knocked against his broad shoulder. Sorey’s green eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he went completely limp. Sergei turned as Alisha advanced towards him, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

“I got him,” he said, holding the child out. 

Whatever rage Alisha had been about to unleash on her boyfriend vanished when she saw Sorey. She took off her brown jacket and wrapped it around his unconscious form as she took him into her own arms. She held him safely against her chest. _It’s okay, Sorey. You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you._

“Oh snap!” Sergei exclaimed, when he saw Sorey’s face. “He’s unconscious. That’s not good.”

“We need to get him to a doctor,” Alisha said. 

“Poor little guy. I wonder how he got out here?”

Alisha had been wondering the same thing. They’d go to the police station while Sorey was getting checked over by the doctor. Maybe they’d have a record of a missing child, and they’d be able to find his family...

Alisha stopped dead in her tracks when she heard twigs crunch behind her. She didn’t see anything when she turned back, but there was no mistaking the chill that was running down her spine. It was the type of chill that came from being watched by hidden eyes. Her mind ran over what Sorey had told her. 

“There might be someone else,” she told Sergei. “He said... he kept calling for someone called Mikleo.”

“Mikleo? That sounds like a made up name to me. Are you sure he wasn’t just calling for his imaginary friend?” 

Alisha gave him a pointed look. 

“I’ll let Heldalf and the boys know, just in case,” Sergei promised her. “They’ll check the area. If someone else is here, don’t worry. I’ll make sure they find them.”

“If they do, please, for the love of god, don’t scare this one half to death!”

Sergei grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Alisha tried to take comfort in the heart-tugging expression, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else was there. She gave their surroundings one last sweep before going back to her truck. 

 

“He’s a lucky child,” the doctor told her. 

Alisha released the breath she’d been holding. The doctor’s expression was relaxed, so it can’t have been bad news. The doctor took a seat next to her, in the corridor outside of Sorey’s room. 

“I expected signs of malnourishment, dehydration, stunted growth. But he’s fine. Perfectly healthy. All he needs is a good bath and some new clothes.”

“Really?” Alisha could hardly believe her luck. Maybe there truly was someone up there, listening to her prayers. 

“I want to keep him here overnight, just to make sure,” the doctor told her. “But after that he’s free to go. Have you thought about what you’re going to do with him?”

“My boyfriend already went to the police,” Alisha said. “They’re looking into it. Hopefully we’ll find his parents.”

“And if they can’t?”

Alisha bit her lip. She didn’t know. The thought of surrendering the child to the social services made her stomach clench. They didn’t have anywhere that dealt with these matters in town. Sorey would have to be taken over the bridge and to the next city, where they’d find him a home. For some reason, the thought of taking Sorey so far away from the Elysian Woods felt wrong. Likely the boy still thought of it as his home. The last thing Alisha did was want to upset him. 

But then what was the other option? Keep him? Her head spun at the suddenness of it all. She needed to discuss this with Sergei first. Preferably over a drink. 

When she remained silent, the doctor put a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you into anything,” the doctor said. “But it is something you’ll need to think about. Just in case.”

“Is he awake yet?” Alisha asked. “Can I see him?”

“He’s still sleeping. But it’s probably best if you stick around. He’s going to have questions when he wakes up, and it’ll help to have a familiar face answering them for him.” The doctor stood and shook her head. “You know, it really is remarkable. It should be impossible for someone so young to survive so well on their own.”

Alisha nodded. She’d had similar thoughts. And there was only one thing she could come up with to explain it. 

_He wasn’t on his own._

 

“Are you sure, Sergei? Have you really checked everywhere?”

“I’m positive, Alisha. We’ve covered the entire area. Back and forth, _twice_! There’s no sign of another child.”

“But you found his home? You found where Sorey’s been living?”

“Yes, and everything we found there suggests it’s just him. One bed. One cup. One bowl.”

“That sounds awfully sophisticated for a feral child, doesn’t it?”

Alisha adjusted the phone, so it was more comfortable against her ear. After stopping by the police station, Sergei had gone back the woods to join the hunt for Mikleo. So far, they’d been unsuccessful. 

“I told you, didn’t I,” Sergei said, and Alisha could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “This Mikleo is probably imaginary. A kid growing up alone in the woods is bound to get lonely. Heck, even kids who aren’t in the woods have them.”

“But it doesn’t make any sense. There _has_ to be someone else out there! Are you sure Heldalf’s putting all his effort into his search?”

“Trust me, he’s the most diligent of us all. There’s no way the council will give us permission to work here if there’s potentially a child in the woods. Heldalf’s the one who found Sorey’s little den.”

“I see.”

Alisha wasn’t sure how she should feel. She should be glad that there wasn’t another child lost in the woods, and yet all she felt was bitter disappointment. She’d wanted this Mikleo person to be real. For Sorey’s sake. Now the poor child faced losing not only his home, but his friend too. 

The sound of smashing glass made Alisha jump out of her seat. She almost dropped her phone. It had come from Sorey’s room. 

“Alisha? Are you alright? What was that sound?”

Without replying, Alisha flung Sorey’s door open. The room was empty. A cold breeze was coming through the broken window, making the curtains billow like torn flags. Alisha’s heart stopped. _No. Oh god no._ She checked under the bed, threw the entire duvet onto the ground, threw open all the cupboards she could reach. But no, he wasn’t hiding. 

“Sergei,” she said, voice trembling. “Sorey... he’s gone.”

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will be from Sorey's PoV!


End file.
